Abstract
A common 44-base pair insertion/deletion polymorphism in the promoter region of the human serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene has been observed to be associated with affective illness and anxiety-related traits. This biallelic functional polymorphism, designated long (L) and short (S), affects 5-HTT gene expression since the S promoter is less active than the L promoter. Since there is strong evidence of a disturbance in brain serotonergic transmission among antisocial, impulsive, and violent type 2 alcoholic subjects, we decided to test the hypothesis that the frequency of the S allele, which is associated with reduced 5-HTT gene expression, is higher among habitually violent type 2 alcoholics when compared with race and gender-matched healthy controls and non-violent late-onset (type 1) alcoholics. The 5-HTT promoter genotype was determined by a PCR-based method in 114 late onset (type 1) non-violent alcoholics, 51 impulsive violent recidivistic offenders with early onset alcoholism (type 2), and 54 healthy controls. All index subjects and controls were white Caucasian males of Finnish origin. The S allele frequency was higher among type 2 alcoholics compared with type 1 alcoholics (χ2 = 4.86, P = 0.028) and healthy controls (χ2 = 8.24, P = 0.004). The odds ratio for SS genotype vs LL genotype was 3.90, 95% Cl 1.37–11.11, P = 0.011 when type 2 alcoholics were compared with healthy controls. The results suggest that the 5-HTT ‘S’ promoter polymorphism is associated with an increased risk for early onset alcoholism associated with antisocial personality disorder and impulsive, habitually violent behavior.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hallikainen, T., Saito, T., Lachman, H. et al. Association between low activity serotonin transporter promoter genotype and early onset alcoholism with habitual impulsive violent behavior. Mol Psychiatry 4, 385–388 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000526
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000526
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Serotonin transporter availability in physically aggressive personality disordered patients: associations with trait and state aggression, and response to fluoxetine
Psychopharmacology (2023)
-
Association of serotonin system-related genes with homicidal behavior and criminal aggression in a prison population of Pakistani Origin
Scientific Reports (2021)
-
Population genetic variation of SLC6A4 gene, associated with neurophysiological development
Journal of Genetics (2021)
-
Polymorphism of serotonin transporter gene in male subjects with antisocial behavior and MMA fighters
Translational Psychiatry (2018)
-
Alcohol Intoxication Moderates the Association between a Polygenic Risk Score and Unprovoked Intimate Partner Aggression
Journal of Family Violence (2018)